Whitwabit
US Veteran
Nope .. No forgetting .. Put it on when I put my pants on in the morning ..
Off when I lay my head down for the night ..
Repeat next day !!!!
Off when I lay my head down for the night ..
Repeat next day !!!!
A foolish thing happened this morning.
- Thread starter barbara_em
- Start date
There are two types of threat. Known and unknown. If it's known I do everything possible to avoid it. I carry for the unknowns.
Wow, I think that is short sighted. What is a person supposed to do when a large criminal has a piece of wood, a piece of pipe, a knife or a gun?As I age, I feel like I'm not likely to be able to defend my self as well as when I was young. People of small stature probably feel the same way. I am pretty much armed all the time. I am capable of effectively using it. It's one of the last things I would ever want to do, but if the situation demands it...With the "opiod epidemic" and tweakers around everywhere, I think now more than ever it is a good idea to be able to effectively defend oneself by deadly force, if necessary. My youngest daughter has a carry license. She was "ambushed" by a news crew when walking her dog the other day. They asked her thoughts on the Federal drug bust at the neighbor's house she was walking by. She was informed that a large amount of meth, guns and cash was seized. She lives in a decent neighborhood and had never suspected a thing. The chances of needing to defend oneself with a firearm by shooting it, are very low, but the likelihood of displaying it and fending off a thug is very much higher.
BE Mike said:
You're misinterpreting the lesson.
People that carry habitually sometimes develop an attitude--and if you want proof, just browse the forums for 5 minutes--that The Gun is what keeps them safe. Everything starts to revolve around The Gun--how to carry it, carrying it everywhere, practicing with it, etc. They forget useful skills, they stop practicing awareness, etc--why bother? They're safe, they have The Gun.
How many times have we read a story about someone that stupidly got into a confrontation that they never would have considered getting into had they not been armed? Pretty often.
The "not carry" exercise is intended to prevent that. I don't know if it's effective--legally, my routine prevents me from true 24/365 carry--but I'll tell you this: I'm certainly not afraid without it.
No one said anything like that. What was said was it if your feelings of safety come from a gun then you're not thinking right.
The article was more aimed at people who feel utterly defenseless without a gun and who freak out if they ever have to go someplace where they cannot carry.
Your self defense strategy should NEVER (and of course YOURS isn't) be predicated on having a gun. The gun should be the last option.
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I generally carry every day. I probably forgot my gun 3 times in the last 5 years. I live in a neighborhood where crime is more likely to happen than most. However, I grew up in a neighborhood like that so I'm generally not fearful of it. I kinda know what to look for. With all that said, I have went back in and got it.
I see the "not carry" exercise as indefensible. I'm just as aware of my surroundings with or without a gun. I'm more likely to avoid confrontations because I'm armed and realize the huge responsibility it entails. Going unarmed only makes one more likely to be a victim, if confronted by a criminal or attacked.
I'm a "checklist" guy, too. Everything in its place as soon as I'm dressed, everyday, all day. Well, except yesterday.
After lunch I changed into work clothes to go into the woods on my property to cut firewood. I made the conscious decision NOT to wear my belt so no OWB 640 Pro, but the M&P 340 was in its place in my pocket.
On my way to the next standing dead pine tree in need of felling -- about 100 yards from my cabin -- I saw four-legged critter prints in the four inches of snow, but they'd "bloomed" so I couldn't tell whether it had been a bobcat or a fox -- the only two critters around this time of year that make "those" small prints. No worries about either 'cause both are lots more afraid of us big two-legged critters than we are of them. I truly hoped to see which ever one it was, but I never want to see one of those big canines that nearby neighbors have occasionally reported seeing (and, no, I don't mean a coyote).
Hard at my work, I shut off the saw once, flipped up the ear muffs on my hardhat and heard a noise with which I wasn't familiar. It came from behind a thick stand of fir and pine I couldn't see through. Lots of commotion so I just watched and remembered my conscious decision not to pack the Pro. I didn't feel a need to reach for the 340, but I was aware of where it was.
I watched, but there was nothing to see. The odd noise of something flailing about in the thick woods continued and drew a bit nearer. "Never again will I choose NOT to hitch up the OWB holster and drop in the Pro," I thought!
In a flurry of noise and fanfare out from the woods flew a downy woodpecker. He landed atop the new stump about two feet from me, jack-hammered one of the bug holes and we eyed each other. I laughed, as much at myself as at his silly antics, and then he took his leave.
Note to self: don't leave the cabin half-dressed again.
No, I, too, can't agree with testing my self awareness and ability to defend myself by purposefully leaving home unarmed. Makes no sense to me, no matter what the threat might be.
After lunch I changed into work clothes to go into the woods on my property to cut firewood. I made the conscious decision NOT to wear my belt so no OWB 640 Pro, but the M&P 340 was in its place in my pocket.
On my way to the next standing dead pine tree in need of felling -- about 100 yards from my cabin -- I saw four-legged critter prints in the four inches of snow, but they'd "bloomed" so I couldn't tell whether it had been a bobcat or a fox -- the only two critters around this time of year that make "those" small prints. No worries about either 'cause both are lots more afraid of us big two-legged critters than we are of them. I truly hoped to see which ever one it was, but I never want to see one of those big canines that nearby neighbors have occasionally reported seeing (and, no, I don't mean a coyote).
Hard at my work, I shut off the saw once, flipped up the ear muffs on my hardhat and heard a noise with which I wasn't familiar. It came from behind a thick stand of fir and pine I couldn't see through. Lots of commotion so I just watched and remembered my conscious decision not to pack the Pro. I didn't feel a need to reach for the 340, but I was aware of where it was.
I watched, but there was nothing to see. The odd noise of something flailing about in the thick woods continued and drew a bit nearer. "Never again will I choose NOT to hitch up the OWB holster and drop in the Pro," I thought!
In a flurry of noise and fanfare out from the woods flew a downy woodpecker. He landed atop the new stump about two feet from me, jack-hammered one of the bug holes and we eyed each other. I laughed, as much at myself as at his silly antics, and then he took his leave.
Note to self: don't leave the cabin half-dressed again.
No, I, too, can't agree with testing my self awareness and ability to defend myself by purposefully leaving home unarmed. Makes no sense to me, no matter what the threat might be.
Protected One
Member
Hey Duster340! Remember that time that you carried....? 
LOL
You would have truly needed a "psychological stop" if a threat surfaced! Hehehehe
LOL
You would have truly needed a "psychological stop" if a threat surfaced! Hehehehe
ChattanoogaPhil
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Not a high-speed low-drag operator. I'm just a guy walking his dog at the park. I slip an LCP in my pocket in the morning and it stays there till bedtime.
That I should disarm myself to get better in tune with my Zen force awareness and tactical strategies ain't happening. I'll take the risk of remaining armed.
That I should disarm myself to get better in tune with my Zen force awareness and tactical strategies ain't happening. I'll take the risk of remaining armed.
If going to someplace uncharted and nasty, it's someting bigger! 
iPac
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That was the whole point of the article, and one would need to read it before passing judgment because it was mainly directed at those individuals who absolutely feel it is the GUN protecting them alone, and if they don't have a gun on them, they are actually in fear.
Now, that might not be a large %, but it still exists. For the folks who are mentally and physically prepared, they will probably laugh at this.
Also, I'm not saying I agree with the author. I would rather not forgo carrying a gun just to get experience without it, but I do understand his points on SD being much more than just a gun. Fortunately, I'm not one of those who live in fear of being unarmed, and just use this information as further wisdom in the noggin.
Being that I have mental and physical preparedness, I will just opt to carry my gun at all times when outside the house.
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686-380
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I hope I'm mentally prepared to defend myself. I very much play the odds. Most of us will die of heart disease or diabetes before someone evil decides to rush things along...then there are times:
Teacher brutally murdered while moonlighting at Hawaii vacation home, police say | Fox News
Teacher brutally murdered while moonlighting at Hawaii vacation home, police say | Fox News
I think you're both deliberately missing the point of the exercise. It's aimed at the people who FREAK OUT anytime they are required to go someplace where they are simply not permitted to carry. Say a military installation or a penitentiary where they can't even have a gun in the car. The same people who will not enter any business that prohibits firearm because they might get caught without The Mighty Boomstick
If you absolutely can not face the world without a gun you're too dependent on the gun for your safety
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BLACKHAWKNJ
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I agree, the gun is a tool, an implement, the mind is the real weapon. Having a first aid kit without really knowing how to use it-like not knowing how to change a tire-is a good example of being prepared in a material sense but not in a mental one. But being prepared mentally and not physically is just as foolish.
Whitwabit
US Veteran
Would you take your spare tire out of your car to feel the need to look for pot holes ?? To become more aware of your driving surroundings ???
Why would you not carry your weapon ????
Why would you not carry your weapon ????
Hey Duster340! Remember that time that you carried....?
LOL
You would have truly needed a "psychological stop" if a threat surfaced! Hehehehe
LOL! You're killing me!
oneounceload
Member
Because, sometimes it is illegal; other times, clothing doesn't work well.
bigwheelzip - that is the ONLY time I don't carry - visiting family in NYC.
I suppose I won't carry if I know I am going someplace where my gun is prohibited but, as a rule, except for NYC, I don't travel to such places. Foreign travel excluded - that doesn't count because if I am not in America then I left my rights behind, too.
I might leave my wallet home, my money, even my knife, and for sure my phone, and not go back for it. It happens. I never leave my house without my gun. If I did I'd go back for it but it never happens. I don't even throw out the trash without a gun in my pocket. I live in a very safe neighborhood. It doesn't matter. Today could be the day.
Now that I have lots of years on me I even feel better about it than I did when I first started EDC - on my person or in my car - (before the concealed handgun law I might add - it was a very common practice in Texas). Now I feel like I can justify 100% carry no matter what because the headline will read something like this:
"Senior citizen prevents home invasion."
Or similar.
"It jus' beez dat weigh......"
I suppose I won't carry if I know I am going someplace where my gun is prohibited but, as a rule, except for NYC, I don't travel to such places. Foreign travel excluded - that doesn't count because if I am not in America then I left my rights behind, too.
I might leave my wallet home, my money, even my knife, and for sure my phone, and not go back for it. It happens. I never leave my house without my gun. If I did I'd go back for it but it never happens. I don't even throw out the trash without a gun in my pocket. I live in a very safe neighborhood. It doesn't matter. Today could be the day.
Now that I have lots of years on me I even feel better about it than I did when I first started EDC - on my person or in my car - (before the concealed handgun law I might add - it was a very common practice in Texas). Now I feel like I can justify 100% carry no matter what because the headline will read something like this:
"Senior citizen prevents home invasion."
Or similar.
"It jus' beez dat weigh......"
jscott
Member
Enjoying reading everyones pro and con opinion. I have respect for them all. However, one thought keeps coming back to me. Without trying, I'm a **** magnet and after surviving 35+ years as Police in high risk units in ARMY Military Police, Detroit, and Miami-Dade, what a tragedy it would be to get murdered because I was retired and left my gun at home. Or worse yet, a loved one with me was hurt.
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